


[ static ]

by SuperSpeedyPetey



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Comfort, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, I dont know how slow you like your burns, Injury, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Not sexually, On Hold, Platonic Kidge, Slow Burn, bed sharing, but like, love me some platonic Keith and pidge, only referenced in euphemisms, or medium burn?, slight graphic description of injury, spanish yo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-11-10 00:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11115819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSpeedyPetey/pseuds/SuperSpeedyPetey
Summary: The sound of broken up comms is haunting. Haunting enough to keep Lance up at night.The feeling of suffocation is just as terrifying. Terrifying enough to keep Keith up at night.[ On Hold. Read notes at end of Chapter 7 for explanation ]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi !  
> So this is my first time publicly posting a fanfiction?  
> I welcome all constructive criticism (and praise if you deem it necessary!)  
> I live for Klangst and hella fluff so I'll be making you suffer with me.
> 
> (Thank you Anders for being my wonderful beta)

The sounds of battle were nothing the paladins of Voltron weren’t used to. Neither was the sight. Being the defenders of the universe did that to you I suppose, although one thing that never got old was the thrill and bursts of adrenaline. It only amplified when they formed Voltron, everyone’s minds melding into a mess of excitement and fear. At this point in the fight they had broken apart, splitting off to attack separate areas of the Galra fleet they were currently engaged with.

 

“Hunk, 3 o'clock!” Pidge’s voice was slightly fuzzy over the comms, but the Yellow Paladin got the message, swerving to miss the violet laser shot by a fighter jet. The beam instead collided with another fighter, causing a small explosion that carried enough to engulf a couple other jets that were close.

 

“Thanks Pidge!” Hunk called back, turning his lion again to head towards another cluster.

 

“Okay, Lance, Keith, go take out the bay doors at the bottom of the ship. We need to slow the stream!” The next voice was Coran’s, calling out from the Castle of Lions which was firing it’s own electric blue lasers. The two replied with their confirmations (a “yippee ki yay” from Lance) before piloting their own lions underneath the Galra Battle Cruiser. They took in turns, one attacking the bay and another defending then switch, then switch again. The doors finally took enough damage to stop jets leaving, causing sharp outwards dents from the high speed impact on the inside. 

 

“Great job paladins. Focus on the remaining fleet before attacking the main battleship” Allura’s voice spoke over the comms, directing them all to aim at the fighter ships that circled them. The lasers became sparse as team Voltron continued their attack, working like a well oiled machine. Shiro activated his jaw blade, ripping it across the underside of a ship convoy, blasting them to smithereens. The shards of metal hit the Black Lion, jolting Shiro as he flew off. 

 

“Keith, straight ahead!”

 

“Watch out Pidge!”

 

“Coran we need more covering fire!” 

 

Overlapping voices shouted across the comms as the bay doors opened again, more fighter jets spewing out at high speed. 

 

“Princess, if we can't destroy the ship before the ion cannon is fixed we're going to have to retreat” Shiro spoke as calmly as possible, not leaving any room for negotiation. Not that any would be needed, this battle was slowly becoming a death wish. Chunks of the larger ship were gouged out, metal still glowing around the edges from laser blasts. 

 

“It won't be long Shiro”

 

“Pidge is right, we have maybe half a varga!” Coran’s voice had an edge of nervousness to it.

 

“It's okay guys we can do it!” Hunk’s words of encouragement fell upon deaf ears as everyone scrambled to attack different sides. 

 

“Keith, group on your six!” Lance called, firing a beam of ice at the leading ship before swerving away. The red paladin returned a thanks before turning and firing at the jets following him. 

 

Pidge flew over Keith’s head before looping under, shooting at the hull in random intervals. Hunk used the armour of his lion to ram into any and all areas of the ship he could reach. Lance used his ice cannon before firing his laser at the now brittle pieces, allowing the targeted areas to shatter. Shiro called out orders, providing backup to anyone who got too surrounded. Keith targeted all the weak points he could, firing his fire beam wherever he thought the most damage would be done. 

 

“Why didn't we form Voltron once the doors were blocked?!” Pidge shouted, their voice raising an octave at the end. 

 

“We can try to make a distraction but you'll only have a few ticks” Came the response from the Castle along with the distinct  _ pow / bachow / pachoo / blam  _ of their own canon. 

 

“Okay team, form Voltron!” The familiar command rounded up each of the lions from their positions of attack, allowing them to transform and connect. If the paladins felt the lingering fear - which, of course, they did - they didn't mention it to each other. “Form scimitar!” Keith, Pidge, Lance, and Hunk activated their bayards, allowing Voltron to produce a glowing sword twice the length of the robot. With a burst of speed from the leg thrusters, the sword ran the length of the Galra ship, leaving a glowing line and explosions in it’s wake. Groans sounded from the stress of metal as the ship buckled and broke. 

 

“A couple more hits should-- Oh no…” The five turned their attention to where another two Galra battlecruisers had appeared, edges still blurry from the speed of travel. Lasers shot from every direction until Shiro made the decision to split up again, each taking a section of the space around them. Various weapons fired and slashed but it was proving fruitless against the new onslaught against the team.

 

“Keith, watch out!” Keith turned his head a moment too late, staring at the laser heading towards him unable to move. He’d always heard people say that bad moments happened in slow motion, that you could pinpoint everything that went wrong and what happened around you. They also said that your life would flash before your eyes. Those claims were bullshit. Everything happened at once. The blast, the pain, the garbled audio, there was no time for reliving memories. Through all his training at both the Garrison and the Castle, nothing could have possibly prepared him for being hit point blank by an ion cannon.

 

* * *

 

 

From somewhere by the red paladin’s ear came a hissing sound, drawing him from his stupor.

 

“Snakes…” Next time he’d have to set more traps. Or move from the desert. Moving sounded good. Maybe somewhere the temperatures were even. Moving… Moving. Keith  _ was _ moving. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to blink out the fatigue as he took in his surroundings. Around him the battle was still going on but he seemed to be so far away. 

 

_ The cannon _ .

 

He had been hit by the ion cannon - that’s why he was far away. He lifted a heavy arm, slowly moving one of the joysticks forward to check the controls. Still working. “Good girl” He muttered, feeling a resounding purr in response. Keith felt a dull ache spread across his temple as he engaged the thrusters, allowing him to rejoin the battle.

 

“-- th?” Static interrupted whatever was trying to get through the comms. “Ke --? -- ddy?” 

 

“I’m good. On my way back in” His voice sounded scratchy, but it worked. Although, he wasn’t sure how much would get through if his comms weren’t working properly. The red paladin was edging back into battle when his chest started to feel tight. What was going on?  _ Come on Keith, get it together. _ He felt sweat start to bead on neck and a warmer liquid trickle down his browbone but pushed forward. A purr sounded again, causing Keith to hum in agreement. Keith paused moving Red forward, leaning forward to try and catch his breath - which was now coming in shallow and fast.

 

“Keith!” The call was followed by static, but at least it was a full word.

 

“Need… Extraction…” He muttered back as alarms started to go off on his dashboard. Red purred once more before powering down, using only backup power to run the screens in front of Keith. Dials flickered with Altean warnings flashing across certain dials, which Keith could only understand as: ‘ _ I’m in deep shit _ ’. Black dots danced at the edge of his vision, slowly turning turning into solid shapes that took over his sight completely. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It wasn’t long before Coran waltzed back in, a slight spring in his step._
> 
>  
> 
> _“A couple more vargas and our boy Keith will be back to being right as Earth rain!” Lance glanced towards Pidge for the necessary translation. The smallest paladin mouthed the word ‘hours’. Before returning to their food._

****Lance had learned that it's best to repress the resulting emotions from battle. Everyone had their own feelings from a fight, they didn't need another person's feelings on top. A smile and joke was the best way to hide that.

Except … smiles weren’t something that came easy when you were staring at your comatose team member. As soon as the static started coming in from Keith’s communicator, they knew a tactical retreat was the only option. The Galra had requested backup before the first ship was completely destroyed. They each had an area to attack, but as they got countered one of the larger battleships powered up their ion cannon. For the most agile lion/paladin duo, Keith didn’t do a good job getting out of the way. He was blasted a good (bad?) distance away with Red seemingly going limp. Shiro was the first into the lion to get Keith, who apparently had quite a bit of damage to his helmet. Which, in the middle of space, is kind of a bad thing. Red also had the telltale signs of damage, but being a magic lion and all she fixed herself up pretty quick. If it wasn’t for that Keith may have ran out of oxygen a lot sooner.

In other words he’d have died.

Lance was currently sat on the floor, leaning against the healing pod waiting for Keith to wake up and get out. Well waiting may be the wrong word when he wasn’t expected to wake up for another day or two. He didn’t understand the Altean time measurements yet. Either way, Lance had a pain in his lower back and his knee couldn’t stop bouncing. Hunk brought him a bowl of goo a while ago but he didn’t have the stomach to eat it.

“Lance.” The boy hummed in response, turning his head towards the infirmary door where Shiro stood, DadTM pose and voice ready. Out of instinct he sat up straighter, turning to face him a bit better. “You can’t stay here all night” For someone who constantly berated the others when they called him dad, he really did nail the voice.

“We’re in space. Time doesn’t exist” Shiro replied with a roll of his eyes, while Lance just gave a half-hearted grin that even he knew wouldn’t reach his eyes.

“Okay smartass, you know what I meant” The older boy made his way over, crouching and placing a heavy hand on Lance’s shoulder. “You’ll just complain of a bad back in the morning anyway” The blue paladin sighed, taking another look at the healing pod.

“You know, it’s weird. I expected the armour to be stronger. Dios mío…” He stood up, stretching his back and sighing when he felt the audible pop.

“If anything happens the alarms will go off and Coran will be here in an instant. You don't need to worry”

“Pfft, me? Worried? About Keith?” Shiro gave him a deadpan stare before patting his shoulder again before walking out. Okay, so maybe Lance was a bit uneasy. Possibly nervous at a stretch. He gave one final glance at the pod before walking out to his room.

 

* * *

 

 

As Lance made his way to the dining hall he stole a glance inside the infirmary. Coran was tapping at the screen in the centre of the room checking numbers. Or words? Altean was weird. Satisfied that Keith was okay he made his way to breakfast, so looking forward to breakfast goo.

Pidge was wearing yesterday’s clothes still, knees up to their chest as they slowly ate from the white bowl in front of them. Hunk sat next to them, being the complete opposite in fresh clothes and wolfing down his food. Allura sat at the head, Shiro to her right as they spoke - most likely discussing strategies or other boring parent stuff. In the end Lance took the seat opposite Hunk, grabbing his own bowl of the green substance. It wasn’t long before Coran waltzed back in, a slight spring in his step.

“A couple more vargas and our boy Keith will be back to being right as Earth rain!” Lance glanced towards Pidge for the necessary translation. The smallest paladin mouthed the word ‘hours’ before returning to their food. Hunk looked up, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

“Were there any like you know, complications. With his brain and stuff?” He asked, eating the spoonful once he finished talking. This time Allura spoke up, hands neatly folded in front of her.

“As far as the healing pod is showing, he’s almost all better” Hunk nodded a response, continuing to eat. Pidge yawned and stretched before standing up and heading out.

“I’ll be in my room if anything happens. Someone better come get me when he wakes up” Lance’s eyes followed their retreating figure, the tips of his fingers tapping out a tuneless song on the surface of the table. He could hear Coran, Allura, and Shiro talking in the background but he couldn't quite focus enough on it.

“Lance?” The blue paladin’s head shot up to look across the table at Hunk

“Yeah?” He leaned forward on his elbows, a (fake) smile playing on his lips.

“Are you alright? You seem totally out of it”

“I’m fine dude, just thinking how great an omelette would be right now” Hunk gave a small smile “Hey Shiro, next stop we should find some eggs” The oldest paladin glanced over, quirking his eyebrow slightly before turning back to Allura.

“Maybe next time” Hunk snorted, picking his bowl up and reaching across to Lance’s. “You coming?” Lance gave a nod, jumping up to follow his best friend into the kitchen. Once there he leaned against the chrome topped counters, being no help whatsoever when it came to putting the dishes into the space-dishwasher.

“Do you think they do farmers markets in space?” he piped up, now draping his upper body over the countertop. “Because hell, I’d even settle for some rice and beans” Hunk turned and chuckled in his friends direction.

“Goo or the Garrison ‘Meat surprise’?”

“Goo hands down, at least I know it’s edible” Lance grabbed a pouch of water as the two laughed, continuing to remember their favourite moments at the school. “Hey do you remember that time we snuck into the kitchen and stole a tub of ice cream?” Soon enough the comms beeped to life, broadcasting Coran’s bubbly voice through the kitchen’s speakers.

“Keith’s pod is almost ready to release!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel loved with the great response to the first chapter. Made my heart swell ! I hope the second chapter is okay, albeit slightly shorter. I was way too worried about waffling. 
> 
> Enjoy ! ❤️


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Lance had heard the commotion as he walked about the castle’s halls, very obviously hearing choked noises from inside Keith’s bunk. He couldn't go and let a bro choke -- That had to be some violation of the Bro Code_

Keith inhaled sharply, feeling the shock of cold air filling his lungs as he surged forward into the arms he knew to be Shiro’s. His hand limply held onto Shiro’s metal arm as he pushed himself to stand up as well as he could. 

 

“Wakey wakey mullet” Keith rolled his eyes before glancing up to the paladins surrounding him. Hunk was, predictably, misty eyed as he watched on with clasped hands. The red paladin felt the corners of his mouth twitch at the sight but remained stoic if not only from fatigue. “Enjoy your beauty sleep? Can't say it improved anything” Lance jested, picking at his cuticles with a smirk on his face before Pidge landed a punch on his arm. 

 

“So what's it like to run out of oxygen?” The smallest paladin piped up, scientific curiosity riddling their voice as they prodded at Keith. Shiro cleared his throat while shooting a stern look towards Pidge. 

 

“Wait what?” Keith glanced at each of the team’s expressions, all of which were at least a small bit sheepish “ _ That's  _ what happened?” His eyes widened as he thought back to the battle. The battle he must have messed up. Keith's lip curled before being interrupted by a low grumble from his stomach. Hunk happily pulled Keith over, heading towards the kitchen while babbling about some alien fruit they had been gifted. Lance felt his eyes follow Keith as he stood with a hand on his hip. 

 

“Good job Casanova” Pidge teased, patting his arm before leaving the infirmary. The older boy sputtered, glaring at Pidge with wide eyes. 

 

The team sat at the dining table each with their own bowl of green goop. For the most part it was silent other than the occasional clink of a spoon. Keith pushed around his food with his spoon as he glared intently into the bowl. 

 

“How are you feeling?” Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder again, a gentle look on his face. The red paladin stayed silent, not quite trusting his voice just yet. Lance’s knee bounced frantically as he sat in his chair.

 

“I--” Keith cleared his throat before continuing “I'm gonna head to my room” The others understood; The cryo pods may heal you but it sure didn't give you energy. The rest of the team nodded, their eyes following Keith as he slowly rose out of his chair before heading towards his bedroom.

 

Once he left the conversation spiked back up, with the recently vacated paladin being the subject matter. 

 

“Rule one,” Shiro spoke up, pointedly looking at Pidge who had a sheepish smile on their face. “Is that no one brings it up until Keith is ready. Need I remind you he almost died” the sentence was punctuated by silence and slightly uncomfortable squirming. 

 

“Yeah of course Shiro” Hunk was the first to speak up, a slightly solemn smile on his face. The others followed suit, each sharing their own acknowledgments.

 

 

Keith was left uninterrupted for the most part, the only intrusion being Coran a few hours later with some water and goo. He was thankful for the fact Coran didn't push him to talk before leaving again. Slowly sipping the water, Keith sat up ever-so-slightly in the corner of his bed, the corner walls being a good support for his aching body. Muffled footsteps continued to walk around the halls outside his door, being joined by the occasional burst of speech albeit nothing the red paladin could make out. Soon enough the fatigue caught up with him allowing him to drift off, dark blue blanket messily draped across the bottom half of his body. It wasn't long before Keith felt a pressure on his chest, lungs screaming in pain for the air they weren't receiving. He tried to breathe but was only met with painful gasps that only added to his panic. Black dots started to circle his vision - bringing back the memories in angry explosions - as a hand roughly sat him up. 

 

“Keith listen, breathe with me come on buddy” The other's voice was sharp minus any venom “In, two, three, four…” Keith focused the the calmer breathing, turning his head to face the dark blue eyes beside him “Out, two, three, four… you got it? And again…” Lance repeated the process until the darker haired teen had calmed down. A cold sweat had uncomfortably pinned strands of hair to his forehead and neck. 

 

“Thanks…” His voice was heavy as he sat up against the head-wall of the bunk, head lowered enough to hide his face. Keith could feel the breaths coming in deep and heaving. The two sat in silence for a while, Lance’s hand still perched on his arm. 

 

“You good?” Lance looked over at him as Keith nodded, sitting up straight and running a hand roughly over his face “I’ll let you try to sleep again  _ asere _ ” He stood up, placing one final awkward pat on Keith’s arm before heading out the door. A soft  _ swoosh _ sounded as the door open and closed before leaving the room in a heavy silence. Keith slid down the wall again, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders and smushing his head into the pillow. He continued with the deep breaths as he tried to sleep.  _ In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. _ Sadly, sleep did not come again as he lay there, eyes boring holes into the metal ceiling. The lights in his room slowly brightened in a ship-wide wakeup call, causing the sounds of footsteps outside to pick up again. 

 

 

Lance had heard the commotion as he walked about the castle’s halls, very obviously hearing choked noises from inside Keith’s bunk. He couldn't go and let a bro choke -- That had to be some violation of the Bro Code. When he walked in he was met with a situation far different from what he was expecting. Being an older brother, Lance recognised the signs of someone having a nightmare pretty quickly. The sweaty hair, the ragged breaths, the white-knuckle grip. There was a tug in Lance’s chest as he made his way over, roughly sitting Keith up to shock him out of the dream. Awake then comfort was always mamás rule. The sooner they were away from the horror the sooner they'd feel better. 

 

“Keith,” he called out, tentatively placing a hand on his arm “listen…” Lance guided the other’s breathing, his thumb subconsciously rubbing soft circles on his forearm. They stayed like that for a while, the blue paladin fighting against every will he had to brush away the damp hairs from his face. The truth was he couldn't sleep either. The lion’s comms were still intermittently playing as Keith slowly suffocated. Strained breathing and static bursts were perfect nightmare fuel too. 

 

It took both too long and too little time to calm Keith down but once all was done Lance stood up anyway, not quite wanting to leave yet. Needs aside he did leave, Lance wasn't the one who got to be selfish in this situation. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys ! Enjoy the chapter ! I'm currently working on some AU stuff so hopefully that should be out in the next couple of day ! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Sorry.” The apology was curt as he stood there with arms rigid down his sides._
> 
> _“Wait what?” Lance sat up more, his arms holding him up on the back of the couch “What for?”_

Lance stared at his reflection in the mirror before continuing his daily routine. Waiting outside Keith’s healing pod had really done a number on his skin; Dark circles were appearing under his eyes and the start of a frown line between his eyebrows had appeared.

_Stupid Keith._

With a sigh Lance brushed his hair and made sure all the product on his face was gone, getting changed once done. As he walked to the kitchen he paused outside the red paladin’s door, fist hovering ready to knock. He shook his head, lowering his hand and continuing his walk, hands now shoved into his jean pockets.

“Hunk, buddy, my man,” Lance grinned at the sight of his friend, using one hand to make a gun while leaning on the countertop “what's a-cooking?” Hunk smiled down at Lance before turning back to the chrome and blue pot that sat on the Altean equivalent of an oven.

“Well, those Croleks gave us these grain looking things and now we have Kaltenecker so… Porridge!” The blue paladin looked in the giant pot Hunk was stirring “Well, it’s purple, but it’s pretty much porridge”

“What about that?” Lance pointed to a bubbling pan at the back of the oven with a very sweet scent that wafted over.

“Oh yeah that’s the leftover fruits from the Edolites which I’m making into a reduction to act as a natural sweetener for the porridge” A proud smile took over Hunk’s face as he stirred the syrup again. “Now, go take a seat. It’ll be ready in a minute” Hunk waved the spoon at the other male as he hummed in acknowledgement, leaving to grab a chair in the dining room. Shiro, Allura, and Coran were discussing the castle’s defenses over cups of steaming liquids that much resembled a bright green tea. Lance decided on a seat next to Pidge, who was drinking their own warm substance, except instead of a vibrant green it more resembled terracotta sludge. Dark shadows dusted Pidge’s amber eyes, yet the youngest paladin seemed no less awake than normal. It wasn’t much later that Hunk came in, holding a large pot in his hands with a serving spoon poking out the top.

“Oh thank God I’m starving” Pidge groaned, grabbing a bowl from the middle of the large table.

“Yes, yes, breakfast is served” He walked around the room, filling up the bowls with the purple food - which Lance noted had vibrant blue swirls from the fruit sauce now - before taking his own seat opposite Coran.

“Hunk, you are a culinary genius” Lance enthused, shovelling the porridge up as if he hadn’t eaten in days. The others voiced their agreements, smiling and making idle chat as they ate. Keith didn’t enter the room until the bowls were mostly empty. His hair was more of a mess than normal, with his boots, belt, gloves, and jacket discarded as he padded along to grab a seat.

“Here buddy” Hunk smiled, filling up another bowl and handing it to him. Keith replied with a very quiet thanks before slowly starting to eat, pausing every now and again to try and stifle a yawn. The conversations started to die down, becoming murmured sentences and hummed responses.

“How’re you feeling Keith?” Shiro’s voice piped up, his hands steepled in front of him.

“All good, gonna get back to training in a bit” His voice was nonchalant, as if it was nothing to train through multiple levels of aggressive robots after almost dying. Lance spluttered and waved his spoon around in his wild hand gestures (Not without splattering Pidge with some of his porridge).

“What?! You- What? No!” Keith glanced up, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at him “Dude you-- Y’know. You can’t-- No. Nuh-uh. Nope” He folded his arms defiantly.

“Lance…” Shiro spoke with authority, causing Lance to look over. “If Keith feels up to it, he’s allowed to go to the training deck” With a huff of his breath and a roll of his eyes, Lance uncrossed his arms.

“Worried, McClain?”

“Psssh, as if”

* * *

 

Keith’s eyes remained on the teen opposite him for a brief moment more before finishing up the food in front of him. He had noticed the extra glances his way, not that they could be blamed, he knew he looked terrible. Without anymore conversation from his part Keith stood up and headed towards the exit, getting ready to grab his boots and bayard from his room. If he looked a mess, it wasn’t anything compared to what his room looked like. His pajamas were strewn across one corner while his bedsheets were kicked around in his uncomfortable stressing.

The door opened with a soft sound and closed again as he sat on his messed up bed, pulling on his boots. Just as he reached over the floor to grab his bayard his door opened again, revealing a certain Cuban flirt leaning on the door.

“You alright?” His hand rested on his hip as he looked into the room. Keith looked him up and down before standing up and adjusting his shirt.

“I’m _fine_ , Lance” He coughed, motioning to the door with his free hand. Lance slowly slid out the way, falling into step next to the red paladin.

“You sure?”

“ _Yes_.” He didn’t mean to snap, but there the response was. He was tired and full of pent up energy.

“Jeez,” The blue paladin raised his hand in a mock surrender “sorry for asking.” His face pinched slightly but he silenced himself before shoving his hands into his jacket pocket and walking off. It wasn't much longer before Keith reached the training room, shouting out the command the start the first training level.

Keith welcomed the battle rhythm against the white and gold battle robot, enjoying every slash and parry between them. It was as he took out his frustration on the bot that he thought back to last night. With a groan he shoved his blade into the circular eye and rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair. It would be the right thing to apologise, right? Yeah probably. Keith puffed out his cheeks as he deactivated his bayard and walked out the room.

_Okay, this is Lance. If I were a Lance, where would I go?_

“Lounge?” He muttered with a tilt of his head before heading to the room. As soon as the door opened he noticed the lanky body sprawled along one of the couches. “Lance” The boy’s head shot up, raising a dubious brow at Keith.

“... Yes?”

“Sorry.” The apology was curt as he stood there with arms rigid down his sides.

“Wait what?” Lance sat up more, his arms holding him up on the back of the couch “What for?”

“Well… Snapping? I suppose? Oh and last night” Keith shot his gaze downwards, scratching at his neck with his free hand.

“Dude. Dude. You don't need to apologise!” His face beamed, eyes crinkling as he grinned “Happy to help” The blue paladin shot his famous Finger Guns before reaching up and patting his shoulder. The red paladin in the other hand nodded shortly, breathing deeply before sitting on the couch opposite. It wasn't long before his head dropped forward, body relaxing as he slid into the cushions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so it's a teeny but earlier than I was expecting but once I started writing it I didn't want to lost my train of thought lmao. And thank you for all the positive reactions and kudos!


	5. Chapter 5

 

Lance watched fondly as Keith slowly drifted out of consciousness. The whole team noted the bags under his eyes that were teetering on the edge of being suitcases. That paired with the night Lance knew Keith had last night … well he couldn't help but he at least a bit concerned. Purely for Voltron of course. Absolutely. With a hum in the back of his throat, the conscious boy grabbed the tablet-like device that controlled the giant screen on the far wall, tapping a few buttons before settling on a film that was either a romance or a horror. Lance couldn't quite tell with the glaringly obvious language barrier. A soft swoosh alerted Lance, allowing him to snap his head towards the offending noise.

“Lance?” Hunk’s voice spoke up from the now open door, being silenced by the other boy’s enthusiastic shush-ing. After holding a finger to his lips, Lance pointed towards the lump that was a now-lying-down Keith. The yellow paladin nodded in understanding, smiling warmly at the sleeping figure. “How long has he been out?” His voice was quieter now, a hint above a whisper.

“I’m not sure, like half an hour maybe?” Lance stretched his body out, arms lifting above his head as his back gave a few satisfying pops. His friend nodded, raising his arms and slowly backing away with a soft smile on his face. The door closed once again.

Keith stirred at the noise, his jacket - which he had been using as a pillow - shifting ever-so-slightly underneath him. Lance headed over to the wall by the door, placing his hand on a panel to reveal a storage cabinet in the aforementioned wall. He grabbed a blanket similar to those which made up the paladins’ bedding and draped it over the sleeping male. Tapping the same panel as he left, Lance closed the cupboard and dimmed the lights, the alien movie becoming background noise.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith jolted up straight with a gasp, grabbing his throat before his mind processed the fact he was safe. He took in his surroundings, noticing the flashing colours that danced across the room. His eyes drifted to the large screen as his chest heaved with strangled breaths that made his head spin. A blanket sat loosely over his legs while his jacket now lay on the floor adjacent to his seat. Slowly he started to relax, his breaths coming in more calmly as he flopped against the back of the couch. Keith adjusted his position so that his legs crossed underneath him, elbows resting on his knees and in turn his chin resting in his hands. He watched the screen with disinterest, not quite taking in the rapidly talking voices. Were they rapid? Or was he just so tired everything went quick? Both?

Probably both.  
With a groan, Keith heaved himself up - jacket held tightly in his fist - and headed to the kitchen, unsure of what time it was. If the brightness of the lights was anything to go by it seemed later than supper, but not quite their designated ‘bedtime’. It was the small facts like that which reminded Keith that, for the most part, they were kids. His eyes ached with sleep as he pulled on the leather jacket in his hand. The kitchen door open with soft sound, revealing a focused yet-not-eating Pidge. Their eyes remained focused on the laptop screen in front of them, fingers moving at a speed that hurt Keith’s head just thinking about it.

“Hey Pidge” Pidge’s head shot up, surveying Keith with their amber eyes, a slight fondness breaking through their nonchalant facade.

“Keith” They gave a small nod, returning to the screen. A bowl sat next to the computer, the blue accent lights giving a soft glow to the counter space below. Keith looked at the bowl; It seemed full, with the spork poking out but slowly sinking into the green goop.

“Have you eaten any of that?” The red paladin grabbed his own bowl from the dishwasher, heading over to the panel to fill it up.

“Huh?” Their eyes flickered to the bowl “Oh, uh no, I don’t think so” Pidge shrugged slightly, a very subtle move of the shoulders. His eyes rolled as he carefully slid onto the countertop next to them. With a swift movement he grabbed the laptop, moving the bowl into it’s previous place. “Hey!” They exclaimed, a scowl taking a place on the green paladin’s face.

“If I have to eat, so do you” Pidge gave a soft groan before shoveling the food into their mouth at almost the same speed they were typing, Keith looked on with a face almost akin to horror but slowly started to eat his portion. The two sat in a comfortable silence with the younger paladin finishing much before the older, grabbing their laptop as soon as the bowl was scraped clean.

“Okay thanks, I’m done, absolutely delicious, now can I get back to the research? Thanks” They didn’t await an actual response before reaching over and grabbing the gray machine. Rubbing a hand over his tired eyes, Keith slotted the dishes into the machine opposite him before heading out, a small wave as he left. By the time he had left the kitchen the corridor lights had dimmed even more, now just a faint path to each separate wing of the castle. He followed them to the sleeping quarters, sleep pulling heavily at his eyelids again as he practically fell into his room.

A path of discarded items made their own path towards his bunk, a boot there, another here. His jacket to the side and his jeans to the other. Keith didn’t quite remember getting ready for bed, but he knew he had by the chalky taste in his mouth left by a vibrant orange alien toothpaste. He curled up as soon as he crawled under the blanket, knife carefully placed under his pillow with his hand wrapped around the hilt. The faintly grainy texture becoming a reassurance as this thumb ran across the cool metal (Was it metal still? Did the Galra has such scientific classifications?) of the cross-guard. The soothing motion became his lullaby as he tried to drift off, but as soon as he felt his body relax enough he was jolted out of it with a sudden urge to take deep breaths. Each time he had to calm his shaking body, with exhaustion finally becoming the reason he fell into a slumber. It was a restless slumber, and it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he got to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whooo boy this was almost late  
> had a lot on my plate so tbh I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I hope yall still enjoy


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re so damn reckless, you know that right? You act like no one cares but_ God _do we care. I care” Lance let out a shaky breath, slowly sliding to lay down. “Can I stay here?” Keith looked at him for a couple moments, mouth opening and closing unsure what to say._

Lance sat in his room, mind wandering as he waited for his face mask to dry. The past couple of days had meant he hadn't exactly had the time to think, but now it was all crashing down on him. This had been one of their worst battles in a while. Crosses with death were expected, of course, but that doesn’t mean anyone was prepared for when they happened. Keith had almost died, and Lance hadn’t been able to stop it. He felt his nails scratch at his scalp as his fingers lightly gripped the short strands of brown hair.

 

“ _ Cabrón… Cabrón cabrón cabrón”  _ The male muttered to himself, roughly dragging his hands over the back of his head before getting up to wash off the mask. He stood over the basin, feeling the water drip over his nose and chin as he stood frozen. His reflection looked so different. It was as if he was projecting out his body and it made Lance want to vomit. His knuckles turned white as he held onto the countertop. “Get it together” He hissed at the image in front of him as his hand reached to the right to take a hold of a towel, patting his face dry. Pulling his pajama shirt over his head he crawled into his bed, shoving Pidge’s headphones roughly over his ears. He scowled at the bunk ceiling until his eyes burned and the tears overflowed onto the mound of pillows below him. A shaky breath escaped his lips as he tried to focus on the soothing guitar music that drifted from ear to ear. It was moments like these that he was glad his mamá made his carry his phone everywhere he went. That and being glad for Pidge’s amazing tech skills. Lance let his mind drift to the evenings on the beach where his papá would teach him to play on the old guitar around the campfire they’d set up. The blue flames from the dried salt and the strong smell of seaweed that permeated the air. More tears dripped down the side of his face as he sat up, knocking the headphones off carelessly. Without thinking, Lance grabbed a dry pillow and headed out, taking a few steps down the hall before gently knocking on the metal door next to his. Shoving the pillow under his arm he dried his face waiting for a response.

 

“Lance?” Keith’s voice was groggy as the door swooshed open.

 

“Ha, uh yeah,” He cleared his throat at the embarrassing voice crack “Yeah it’s me. I didn’t wake you did I?” The other boy’s brow furrowed while he leaned on the doorframe.

 

“A bit… What’s up?” Lance laughed nervously, looking up and down the hall.

 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay, duh” Keith gave him a flat look, obviously not buying it. “I--... It’s all so much…” His voice drifted to a whisper while his eyes glared into the floor. The red paladin let out a soft sigh, taking a step to the side in a silent invitation for Lance to walk in. He took the invitation graciously, yet still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room as Keith sat on the edge of the bed. Keith patted the space next to him, prompting the other to rush over and take a seat, legs pulled up to his chest with the pillow on top of his knees. “How do you cope?” He rested his cheek on the pillow, facing Keith.

 

“Not well…” Keith sighed and fiddled with his hands before looking over to Lance “The nightmares of the battle are absolutely shitty” The blue paladin placed his hand on Keith’s knee and slowly closed his eyes.

 

“You’re an asshole, mullet” 

“Wait what?” Keith sputtered and twisted his body around to face the other completely. He noticed the tears welling in the corners of Lance’s eyes.

 

“You’re so damn reckless, you know that right? You act like no one cares but  _ God  _ do we care. I care” Lance let out a shaky breath, slowly sliding to lay down. “Can I stay here?” Keith looked at him for a couple moments, mouth opening and closing unsure what to say.

 

“Well, yeah, sure?” The other frowned as he slowly crawled against the wall, back pressed flush against it in an attempt to put a less-awkward distance between them. “I know you guys care…” His voice was no more than a whisper as he brought a hand to rest under his cheek.

 

“Good” Lance’s own voice was a sleepy mumble, but Keith watched as an equally sleepy smile graced his lips. The tear tracks were visible down his face and he couldn’t help but gently wipe a thumb gently under his eye, leaving his palm to rest softly on Lance’s cheek as he himself drifted asleep.

 

* * *

 

Keith awoke with a gasp again, talking gulping breaths until he felt a hand rest on his thigh. He jolted at the touch, looking down and noticing a half asleep Lance. A gentle “Shhh” left his lips as he opened one eye to look at the trembling boy next to him.

 

“Sorry Lance… Didn’t mean to wake you” His voice stuttered ever-so-slightly, still keeping his vision trained on Lance.

 

“S’okay… You’re okay” He smiled again, the dopey expression earning a small smile in response. Keith’s head rested against the wall of the bunk, eyes closing as his chest still heaved with laboured breaths. The hand on his leg rubbed soothing circles, allowing every tense muscle in Keith’s body to relax. It wasn’t long before he slid back down, this time his hip grazed the wall instead of allowing himself to be pushed against it. “You good?” He only hummed in response, turning his head to face Lance. His eyes were open, although hooded with sleep, and resting upon Keith. 

 

“Thank you…” The other boy smiled again, shuffling over and resting his head on Keith’s collar bone. Keith tensed ever so slightly as Lance raised a hand to rest over his heart, index finger tapping along to the beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I'm really sorry this was late. I've had a lot on my plate including my birthdays and sick days! I'm happy with how this turned out (although it is a bit shorter than I wanted) so I hope you guys enjoy it too!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The lights in the room brightened, giving the metal room a bluer tinge. The two paladins that lay in bed didn’t wake up to the lights, nor the sounds of footsteps in the halls. Lance’s face nestled over Keith’s shoulder his breath ghosting across his neck. Keith’s hand held tightly onto the one Lance had thrown over him. His legs tangled with the pair behind him as he lightly snored._

When Lance he felt an unfamiliar warmth across his torso. His eyes fluttered open to see that he had buried himself into Keith’s chest, with the male having wrapped an arm around his waist. The warmth became suffocating as he scuttled backwards, almost slipping off the bed. 

 

_ Why did I do this.  _

 

A yawn from Keith startled Lance again, his eyes drifting to look at Keith. 

 

“Lance?” Keith's voice was heavy with sleep as he pushed himself up onto one elbow. His eyes opened but remained hooded. Lance had to restrain himself from brushing the sleep dust that lingered in the corner of the other’s eyes. “You good?”

 

“Sorry-- Shit sorry” He went to get up but was stopped by a soft hand on his. 

 

“What are you sorry for?”

 

“Coming in here and being so gay with you-- I-- Damnit how are you so attractive with dried drool on your chin?!” Lance’s voice raised in volume as he jumped up, pacing the length of the bed while he raked his fingers through his hair. The pale boy frowned as he sat up, rubbing at his chin but kept his eyes trained on the Cuban male. 

 

“I can't tell if that was a compliment or not” 

 

“Neither can I!” Keith crossed his arms, a frown still on his face. 

 

“I'm too tired for this Lance… are you going to stay?” They both looked at the ‘clock’ panel beside the bed. They had about two hours until breakfast. 

 

“Aren't… Aren't you put off by this? By me literally saying I'm acting gay around you” The other just shrugged, sliding back down into a laying position. After a moment of hesitation, Lance crawled back into bed, still staying far on one side. “Keith?”

 

“Mmh…?” He hummed in response, his eyes staying closed. 

 

“I like you”

 

“I like you too”

 

“No-- I mean… Will you go out with me”

 

“Go where? We're in the middle of space” Lance huffed only for Keith to chuckle at him.

 

“Keith--”

 

“I got what you meant. Yes, I'll be your boyfriend” The darker skinned male sputtered slight at the outright use of the term ‘boyfriend’, his cheeks burning. Keith lifted an arm in an invitation for Lance to get closer, of which he took up. The two held each other tighter; Keith’s grip loosened pretty quickly having fallen asleep almost instantly. A smile graced Lance's lips as he himself drifted off. 

 

* * *

 

The lights in the room brightened, giving the metal room a bluer tinge. The two paladins that lay in bed didn’t wake up to the lights, nor the sounds of footsteps in the halls. Lance’s face nestled over Keith’s shoulder his breath ghosting across his neck. Keith’s hand held tightly onto the one Lance had thrown over him. His legs tangled with the pair behind him as he lightly snored. It wasn’t long before the other members of the team got worried about their absence, Shiro going to check on Keith and Hunk going to check on Lance. 

 

It wasn’t the sound of the door opening that woke the two up, but instead the sound of shock that Hunk had let out once he caught up to Shiro. Both their eyes opened slowly, not quite taking in the situation happening. Eventually they untangled themselves, with Lance stretching and yawning while Keith sat up frozen.

 

“I can explain--” Shiro’s eyes took them both in, staring each of them down in the process.

 

“Don’t worry dad we weren’t playing hide the sausage-- Hey, ow!” Keith punched Lance in the arm, his cheeks turning a bright red before he hid his face in his hands.

 

“Lance, never say that again” Hunk looked at him trying to hide his laughter that was threatening to bubble from his lips. The eldest paladin just let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“Breakfast is ready, be there in 20 or you starve until lunch” He turned on his heel, grabbing Hunk’s arm as to allow the door to close.

 

“Are you kidding me? ‘Hide the sausage’?!” Keith screeched, burying his face in a pillow.

 

“Maybe ‘Boinking’?” The pillow collided with Lance’s face as Keith huffed, climbed over him to get to the bathroom.

 

“I’m going to murder you” The red paladin scowled and pointed at him before slipping into the bathroom. Lance chuckled, flopping back down onto the bed. “I haven’t heard the door open yet!” Keith’s voice was muffled until the bathroom door opened and he popped his head around. “Get out” Lance raised his hands in defeat before sliding out of the bed and in turn Keith’s room. He let out another laugh as he walked the few steps to his own room. Pressing a panel on the wall opposite his bed opened up a drawer of sorts, revealing his clothes neatly folded with a sweet, flowery scent radiating off of them. The male placed them on his bed before entering his own bathroom. When he stared at his reflection in the mirror this time he felt more like himself.

 

Keith was the first to arrive out of the two, his hair still damp with the odd droplet of water dripping onto his cheek. When Lance walked in Pidge sighed at the bright orange phone in her hand.

 

“You made it by a minute” They sighed before sliding a bowl across the table to where he now sat. Keith rolled his eyes as Lance sat next to him, a grin on his face. Lance had only eaten three mouthfuls before Shiro walked in, his hands on his hips.

 

“Okay, everyone to the training room” The blue paladin shouted out, spoon hanging in front of his mouth.

 

“What?! I haven’t eaten yet” Shiro raised an eyebrow, an unimpressed look on his face.

 

“Well I told you that you had twenty minutes” Lance pouted, shovelling a few more mouthfuls in before huffing and standing up. Keith followed, although with much less of the child-like attitude seeing as he had managed to eat breakfast. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so technically this is a day late and it's only just a thousand words but here it is!
> 
> **10/10/17**
> 
> Hi guys, I'm really sorry that I have to officially put this on hold. I'm currently going through quite a few personal problems at the minute. I really hate to let down those who follow, bookmark, and give kudos, but for the life of me I can't get inspiration for this fic at the moment. If I get the inspiration I may try to write the odd drabble or oneshot, but as of there wont be updates for a little while. I'm so sorry and I hope you guys can understand and be patient with me. Thank you.


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